Feb 1, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) passes the ball around New York Knicks forward Lou Amundson (21) and forward
Jason Smith(14) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Point Guards
Starter – Jordan Clarkson, 30 minutes
2nd String – Jeremy Lin, 25 minutes
3rd String – Ronnie Price, 5 minutes
The truth of the matter is that the Lakers envision Clarkson as part of their future and they do not feel the same about Lin, hence moving Clarkson to the starting line-up and limiting Lin’s minutes.
Raptors Rapture
Going forward and until the end of the season, Clarkson needs to be the starting point guard. He’s shown enough to validate the belief in him and the excitement fans have about him. He’s as fast as they come, incredibly athletic, and has an ability to get to the rim. He has shown decent enough defensive instincts and he’s improving, which is the biggest thing about his development.
While Lin is a good enough point guard, as I said before, the Lakers do not consider him a part of their future, evidenced by their choice to leave him out of the starting line-up. Going forward, he should be seeing less minutes than Clarkson. It’s unlikely they can find a suitor for his large contract, so there’s no point in trying to showcase him for trade partners.
Ronnie Price was always an odd inclusion into the roster and should be seeing as few minutes as possible. The Lakers would ultimately be better off waiving him and bringing in a D-League player.
Next: Shooting Guards